DMACK wants to lure M-Sport's works team away from Michelin for the 2017 World Rally Championship, and if it cannot it will expand its own squad to two cars.

Fresh from its strongest ever WRC showing in Poland earlier this month, where it nearly won with Ott Tanak, DMACK managing director Dick Cormack wants to take the next step in his company's development.

"We're chasing an agreement with M-Sport," said Cormack. "The target was next year, but if we can't manage that then we're definitely looking to the following season.

"If we're not on the factory cars next year then we run one or two cars in the whole championship."

Cormack is keen to retain Tanak and British Rally Championship leader Elfyn Evans, who drives for DMACK's BRC arm, is the other name high on the list, meaning the company could reunite M-Sport's 2015 works WRC line-up.

"We think the two of them would make a very strong team," said Cormack. "They are likely to be talking to people and if we can't get them then there are others out there. Not many, mind.

"We need a driver to come in and show the pace straight away. I don't think there are many drivers quicker than Tanak in the service park. Granted, you might not always get a finish, but he's very, very fast.

"That's one of the reasons we're looking at two cars. We were running fifth in the championship, but we've had a couple of DNFs and we're down in 10th. If we had two cars, we're not so reliant on one always getting a result."

The structure of DMACK is evolving rapidly now, with the production of rally tires having moved from China to the UK. Cormack is now looking at his own factory in Cumbria or a joint venture with Melksham, UK-based Cooper Tires.

"We're looking at feasibility studies for everything right now," said Cormack. "It could be an independent facility for us in Cumbria or a joint venture with Cooper.

"We're about three months from a decision, but a partnership really makes sense – there's no conflict in our products and we'd complement each other well."